“What? The madam said she wants to go out to meet the duke?”

Goodness gracious, eek!

The maids gathered in small groups, whispering with flushed cheeks and squealing among themselves.

They had been heartbroken and troubled seeing the two who were less than strangers, let alone a couple, but now the madam herself was going out to meet him.

Each was busy imagining sweet scenes of the two in their minds.

However, there was one person.

One who could not smile.

“…It probably won’t be as romantic as you imagine…”

At Mari’s mumbling, those immersed in sweet fantasies glared with sharp eyes.

“How can you say that? It will surely be sweet.”

“That’s right. Of course. The madam has decided to open her heart to the duke, hasn’t she? She must have broken down the tightly locked bolt of her heart.”

“Yes, yes! Don’t jinx it unnecessarily…”

“She said she’ll bake cookies for him.”

……

The atmosphere became solemn at Mari’s words.

“…Don’t tell me, it’s the madam’s health cookies?”

“Yeah. Those.”

It certainly won’t be sweet.

Far from sweet, it’ll probably be bitter, strange, and astringent.

“Shouldn’t we, stop her?”

“How can we when she looks so proud? I can’t do it.”

“…Let’s just cheer her on.”

Hoping the duke’s palate is as peculiar as the madam’s.

One thing was certain – the romantic novel-like reunion they had hoped for was out of the question.

The day my husband was to return.

“Strong and powerful morning!”

I woke up energetically from early on.

As it was a special day, there were many things to pay attention to.

Above all, it was the first step to wash away the rusty first impression and the mistakes I had made during the past time.

The first place I visited was my small and cute herb garden.

The sprouts had already grown more than a hand span.

Occasionally, there were some with a couple of fingernail-sized leaves attached, which were so pretty and cute that I almost kissed them, but ended up eating a handful of dirt instead.

Ptooey.

Just thinking about it makes my tongue feel rough.

“Madam. Here’s the watering can.”

“Thank you.”

Siena was doing her job well, as she had said she would.

Thanks to her, the watering can never ran out of water, and the shovels were always neatly maintained.

“No, Madam. I’m the one who maintained the shovels! It’s Markops, I mean!”

After receiving Markops’ indignant glare as well, Siena’s job was done.

I watched the two’s staring contest while watering the dry soil.

May either of you win.

The winner is on my side.

Leaving the two engaged in an intense staring contest, I returned to my room.

I changed out of my soil-stained clothes, washed my hands and feet thoroughly, and headed to the kitchen with a solemn mindset.

“So, you’re really going to do it.”

Ena mumbled in a voice that sounded like she was gritting her molars, with a grimmer expression than usual.

Why is she like that?

Is her molar hurting?

“What kind of hell- I mean, what kind of cookies are you going to make today?”

“Chocolate cookies mixed with Decan root and mugwort.”

“Oh my goodness.”

“Isn’t it amazing?”

“…Yes. Really, truly. It’s so… amazing.”

Ena muttered, squeezing her eyes shut.

There’s no need to be that impressed.

But I couldn’t help my shoulders rising slightly with pride.

Not long after I started mixing the cookie dough, Barhan came looking for me.

“Is this the cookie?”

“Yep. I packed it full of healthy stuff.”

“Haha. I see. It does look healthy. And as you ordered, I’ve thoroughly checked the cleaning status. Both the bedroom and the study have been tidied so that the duke won’t be uncomfortable.”

“What about the meal?”

“We’ve prepared the duke’s favorite dishes, but made sure they’re not too greasy,” Ena interjected seriously, answering the question.

Just as I was serious about cookies and herbs, it seemed Ena was equally serious about food.

“You both worked hard. I’ll give you two cookies each as a special treat.”

“……”

“……”

Huh? Why no response?

I stopped what I was doing and turned my head at the lack of reply.

“…Do you not want them?”

“No, that’s not it. We just hope the duke will eat a lot of them.”

“I feel the same way, Madam.”

Well, I never.

It seems their care for the duke is no joke.

It’s touching, really.

I too, resolved again and again to become good friends with the duke, not to be outdone.

A Hollywood-style friend-like ex-wife is my goal.

“Butler, Madam!”

Just as I was pressing the cookies into pretty molds and about to put them in the oven, Mari rushed into the kitchen breathlessly.

“The duke will be arriving soon!”

What? Already?

It was earlier than the expected time.

The cookies would need a good hour to bake and cool.

Oh well. Can’t be helped.

I untied the apron I was wearing.

“Ena, can you please watch the oven?”

“Yes, leave it to me!”

Ena’s spirited response was reassuring, but I felt disappointed.

My homemade cookies…

I wanted to give them to him personally. It feels like 2% of the sincerity is gone.

But what can I do?

Sigh.

“So when exactly is the duke arriving?”

I asked with a sigh, and Mari looked towards the window as she answered.

“Well, probably in 10…”

“10 minutes?”

“No. 10. 9. 8…”

“What!”

I screamed at the unexpected countdown and started running.

“Oh my, Madam! Madam! Don’t run! You might get hurt!”

“Madam!”

I heard Barhan and Mari calling from behind, but I ignored them and kept running.

My goal is to greet him with a ta-da at the front door!

“Wow, this place is damn huge!”

Usually, I liked this cozy-pretending yet massive mansion, but not today.

No.

Come to think of it, the problem isn’t the size of the mansion.

“Huff, huff.”

The problem is my rotten body.

My ribs felt like they were about to break after running for just a few dozen seconds.

But I couldn’t stop because I’d feel bad about wasting the effort so far, so I arrived at the main entrance clutching my aching ribs.

“Oh my, I’m dying, huff.”

Gasping for breath, I leaned against the door with my back to push it open.

But somehow the door opened more easily than I expected.

No. The door swung open at the same moment I leaned against it.

“Huh?”

I fell on my bottom with a stupid exclamation.

A pitiful thud echoed.

I squeezed my eyes shut in surprise, then opened them to find my vision filled with blue sky.

What’s this?

“Oh my, Madam. Are you alright?”

“What should we do? Should we call a doctor…”

“Never mind that, hurry and help the Madam up.”

Murmuring voices surrounded me.

Only then did I grasp the situation.

Wow. I must be sprawled out in the middle of everyone.

Should I pretend to faint now? Or should I jump up as if nothing happened?

The one thing for sure is that neither option would look natural.

Just as I was thinking I’d rather turn into an herb right then and there.

Someone’s large shadow fell over me, blocking the sunlight.

Then a large hand carefully helped me sit up.

Soon after, a low voice penetrated my ears.

“Are you alright, my lady?”

Blue eyes flashed within the dark shadow.

It was my husband, returned from his travels.

I stood up as if entranced, staring at his face.

My bottom, which had been struck by gravity, throbbed quite a bit, but I paid it no mind.

How could I?

There was only one thought dominating my mind right now.

“…As expected, the male lead. Incredibly han- cough cough!”

As I was praising my husband’s excellent looks, which were enough to make me lose my senses, a sudden cough attacked my throat.

It seemed the aftermath of the fierce sprint, which had been pushed aside by the shame of sprawling out, had belatedly caught up.

“Cough cough, hack, oh my, I’m dying, cough!”

There was no image left to maintain now.

So much for a good first impression.

This isn’t even certifying that I’m crazy.

As I bent over coughing my lungs out, I could hear murmuring around me again.

Even the male lead looked at me with a puzzled expression, then reached out his hand towards me, but.

“…Quickly, take her inside and let her lie down.”

I flinched.

He withdrew his hand and said that.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than servants rushed over to support me.

“No, wait, I just wanted to say welco- cough. Hack, cough!”

My desperation was buried and disappeared amidst the various coughing sounds.

No, just let me greet him properly!

I glanced back to see the male lead standing there, still looking this way.

Still with his back to the sun.

His expression was hidden by the pitch-black darkness, invisible to me.

It was perplexing.

Too perplexing.

Dante Richter.

The master of the North and monster hunter.

The young duke known as the Monster Duke couldn’t hide his bewilderment at the sight of his wife after a long time.

No, actually it couldn’t even be called a long time.

He had only been away from home for about a month.

The last image of his wife before leaving home was still vivid.